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Shavers goes down, further thinning Alabama's wide receiver corps

Alex Byington, Special to the Advertiser
Published 12:49 p.m. CT April 16, 2018

TUSCALOOSA — Alabama’s potential breakout receiver has been shut down for the rest of spring, further thinning an already shallow group of pass catchers.

Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban announced redshirt freshman receiver Tyrell Shavers will miss the final two weeks of spring practice following surgery to repair an injured ligament in one of his big toes suffered in Saturday’s scrimmage.

“He'll be back for the season (in the Fall),” Saban said of Shavers on Wednesday following the team’s 10th spring practice. “It actually happened in the scrimmage and they told me after it was turf toe. So I didn't think it was that big a deal. (But) you always do MRIs on things like that and I guess it was a little bit worse than what they originally thought.”

The 6-foot-6, 215-pound Shavers joins fellow second-year receiver Jerry Jeudy on Alabama’s injured list after Jeudy went down with a knee injury a week ago, and neither are expected to return before the A-Day spring game April 21.

“He'll be out for the rest of spring, Jerry will be out for the rest of spring,” Saban said. “I said this before, we don't have as many guys out there as we usually have and we have more guys out because of injuries than we usually have."

With the injury to Jeudy, Shavers was stepping up and earning a lot of praise from teammates for his play this spring.

Alabama wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (4) carries against Georgia in second half action of the College Football Playoff National Championship Game in the Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga., on Monday January 8, 2018. (Mickey Welsh / Montgomery Advertiser)(Photo: .)

"Tyrell, he's a big receiver. I feel like he's going to be a great player for us,” junior tight end Irv Smith Jr. said last week. “This year, we lost key receivers last year, so a lot of new guys have to step up.”

Despite the losses, the Tide’s young receiving corps isn’t baren with sophomores DeVonta Smith and Henry Ruggs III, who led the team with six receiving touchdowns last season, as well as senior Xavian Marks and redshirt freshman Chadarius Townsend.

Alabama received positive news when junior defensive back Trevon Diggs returned to practice after missing the last several with an ankle injury.

Despite Diggs’ return, Saban said the team’s lack of defensive backfield depth won’t allow potential two-way players like Diggs and early enrollee receiver-turned-safety Slade Bolden to take reps at receiver, like Smith has at times this spring.

“No, we haven't considered that because we don't really have enough defensive backs,” Saban said. “I think Trevon Diggs, who played receiver here before, probably could do that but we don't have enough guys in the secondary. We just don't have enough skill people out there with those guys both injured.”